Dieting

The term
dieting
refers to restrictive eating or nutritional remedies for conditions such
as iron-deficiency
anemia
,
gastrointestinal
diseases, pernicious anemia,
diabetes
,
obesity
, or
failure to thrive
. Someone can be on a heart-healthy
diet
that encourages the consumption of reasonable amounts of whole grains and
fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and fish, but limits foods high in
saturated fat
and sodium, or one can be on a weight loss diet. Examples of weight loss
diets include: the Atkins New Diet Revolution, the Calories Don't
Count Diet, the Protein Power Diet, the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet,
and Weight Watchers. There is a lack of research, however, on whether
these diets (except for Weight Watchers) are helpful, especially over the
long term (defined as two to five years from the date of weight loss).

The recommended approach to dieting for weight loss is to eat in
moderation so as to control calories (do not go below 1,200 per day) and
to increase activity to lead to a gradual, safe weight loss. A recommended
method is to decrease calories each day by 125 (the amount in a small soft
drink or full cup of juice) and to increase
energy
expenditure by 125 (walking for about 30 minutes). That is, a 250-calorie
deficit a day should result in about a one- to two-pound weight loss over
the course of a month. The goal is to slowly change eating and exercise
routines and maintain a lifelong healthy weight. Quicker weight losses are
hard to maintain. Most people can lose weight on any diet, even on fad
diets, but the trick is to keep the weight off.

So-called fad diets are diets that come and go in the marketplace and are
typically deficient in various ways. For example, they may lack variety
(e.g., the Grapefruit Diet, the Cabbage Soup Diet), be too low in calories
and protein (the Rice Diet), and/or simply too bizarre (the Rotation Diet
for food
allergies
). People should be especially wary of any "breakthrough"
quick-fix diets. If a diet sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Delores Truesdell

Bibliography

Alford, B. B.; Blankenship, A. C.; and Haen, R. D. (1990). "The
Effects of Variations in Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat Content of the
Diet upon Weight Loss, Blood Values, and Nutrient Intake of Adult Obese
Women."
Journal of the American Dietetic Association
90:534–540.